The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: original series & films

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  • SAMSAM
    Posts: 107
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    OHMSS69 wrote:
    I just wonder why its taking so long to bring The Man From UNCLE to the big screen.

    I just watched "The American" **== starring Geroge Clooney as, well, an American spy and I have to say it was fantastic. Far different tone than Bond, but very enjoyable if your a fan of the genre.

    I'm sure it would have launched faster than Apollo if he had actually attached himself.

    But unfortunately he cant, and its best an actor does what they're confortable doing. It should be obvious they want the best story told possible considering their extensive search for a good lead.

    I watched The American a couple of months ago and thought it was quite uneventful. George Clooney does not appear as " tough individual " in my opinion (similiar to Pierce Brosnan).

    A better production released this year in that genre was Unknown starring Liam Neeson.
  • Posts: 5,745
    SAM wrote:
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    OHMSS69 wrote:
    I just wonder why its taking so long to bring The Man From UNCLE to the big screen.

    I just watched "The American" **== starring Geroge Clooney as, well, an American spy and I have to say it was fantastic. Far different tone than Bond, but very enjoyable if your a fan of the genre.

    I'm sure it would have launched faster than Apollo if he had actually attached himself.

    But unfortunately he cant, and its best an actor does what they're confortable doing. It should be obvious they want the best story told possible considering their extensive search for a good lead.

    I watched The American a couple of months ago and thought it was quite uneventful. George Clooney does not appear as " tough individual " in my opinion (similiar to Pierce Brosnan).

    A better production released this year in that genre was Unknown starring Liam Neeson.

    While the film is uneventful up front, with Clooney's job taking a long time to finally come to fruition, the plot is actually about a spy who is losing his edge and trying to get out of the business. Its unfortunate you missed that, but Clooney's performance is excellent in it. The location is quite amazing and so is the cinematography. Its not an action movie, not even really a spy movie. Its about a guy who falls in love (twice) and realizes he cant be with them unless he retires, only, as we all know there's no quitting in this business.
  • edited December 2011 Posts: 4,622
    More Bond/Uncle connections: Uncle Season 3, The Pieces of Fate Affair, 1967. Uncle battles Thrush Agent Ellipsis Zark.
    2006, CR. What is the secret code for the Miami Airport Security Door, that Bond gets from Mollaka's cell phone? Ellipsis! :-O
  • timmer wrote:
    More Bond/Uncle connections: Uncle Season 3, The Pieces of Fate Affair, 1967. Uncle battles Thrush Agent Ellipsis Zark.
    2006, CR. What is the secret code for the Miami Airport Security Door, that Bond gets from Mollaka's cell phone? Ellipsis! :-O

    I have a theory about Goldfinger, the movie. As we know, Eon sued MGM trying to stop production of its new show Solo, claiming it was stealing one of the characters from Goldfinger even though the two characters had nothing in common. The deal was reached where the show was re-titled The Man From UNCLE.

    In the early drafts of Goldfinger, it's not Solo who doesn't want to participate in the Fort Knox caper, it's another hood (same as the novel). At some point, it got switched to Solo, who is killed by Oddjob and crushed in the Lincoln.

    I've always wondered (there's no way to prove it) if, knowing that UNCLE wasn't going to be stopped, this was Broccoli and/or Saltzman's way of getting even.
  • Posts: 4,622
    I've always wondered (there's no way to prove it) if, knowing that UNCLE wasn't going to be stopped, this was Broccoli and/or Saltzman's way of getting even.
    I think you could be on to something there. Quite possible. Maybe along the same lines as Broccoli dumping Blofled down a smokestack with NSNA on the horizon.

  • edited December 2011 Posts: 4,622
    @AlexanderWalverly
    Here's another Bond link for the Bond/Uncle links page.
    Alizia Gur (that's how the Uncle episode lists her, as opposed to Aliza) plays Uncle Agent Francina, who assists Solo in Tanjiers, in the Season 4 Episode, The "j" For Judas Affair.
    Gur, a Miss Israel and 1960 Miss Universe semi-finalist (wikipedia) of course played gypsy fighter-girl, Vida in FRWL. Her wiki-page also says she was Daniela Bianchi's roommate at the 1960 pageant, where Bianchi was first runner-up.
    FRWL snagged two major Miss Universe contestants, although I wouldn't be schocked if Nadja Regin, Martine Beswicke and Eunice Gayson also had beauty pageant backgrounds. At a guess I'd say Regin did as well.
  • Posts: 4,622
    Another Bond/Uncle connection
    Sid Haig played a thug in both the When in Roma Affair, Season 3, 1967 (Vito) and The Prince of Darkness Affair Part 1, Season 4,1967(Alex)
    Later he turned up as a Slumber Inc." attendant" or thug in DAF. He's the one who says I gotta brudder, prompting Connery's "small world" retort.
  • I could have sworn Alizia/Aliza Gur was on the page (I remember noting her presence in J for Judas). Sid Haig also has an amusing moment in The Prince of Darkness when he willingly takes a poison pill from Dr. Kharmuzi (John Dehner0.

    One of these days I need to update the page.
  • Also, one of these days, I need to compile all the 007/Hawaii Five-O connections. I'm hoping I get season 11 as a Christmas present. That includes the George Lazenby "special guest star" episode.
  • Posts: 4,622
    Bond/Avengers connections would be interesting as well. There'd be more English actors and actresses. Uncle connects with a lot of American cross-overs.
  • Posts: 289
    Dad loves Man from UNCLE so i hope they pull off an awesome movie.
  • Posts: 5,772
    For another Bond/UNCLE connection, there's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier. But it's safe to say that the less we speak about that book, the better it will be.

    BTW: why was that show called The Man from UNCLE when there were two agents in the team ? In France, the title was closer to reality, as the show was called "Des Agents Très Spéciaux" (Very Special Agents).
  • Posts: 289
    Dad has (he rediscovered it buried) a UNCLE toy pocket knife that turns into a pistol its pretty cool.
  • Gerard wrote:

    BTW: why was that show called The Man from UNCLE when there were two agents in the team ? In France, the title was closer to reality, as the show was called "Des Agents Très Spéciaux" (Very Special Agents).

    The show was originally titled "Solo." The one thing MGM gave in on (to Broccoli and Saltzman) was getting rid of that name and going with The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

    The pilot was filmed in color with that name. That version is in the DVD set. I have another version that was called Solo but it was a black and white print. But in that version, you also have Robert Vaughn doing a five-minute presentation, presumably intended for network executives and potential advertisers. In it, he hints that the Kuryakin character will have a bigger role than he did in the pilot ("You'll see him often.")

  • edited January 2012 Posts: 4,622
    I've ploughed throught all 105 episodes now. Seasons 1-4. Season 2 is indeed vintage Uncle. Season 1 is quite good as well but Uncle IMO is so much better in colour. The b&w Season 1 though, does have a Hitchcockian film-noir appeal.
    Uncle yes, went off the rails somewhat in Season 3. The trademark Goldfinger inspired, tongue-in-cheek humour of Season 2, by S3 had slid more towards camp, detracting somewhat from the danger element of the show. This was due to new producers and writers and pressure to mimick the campy success of Batman. Nevertheless, S3 is still great Uncle entertainment. The style wit and charm of the show remains very much intact, not to mention the never-ending parade of gorgeous Uncle girls and eccentric Thrush villains, lairs and plots.
    Uncle was cancelled mid- Season 4, but what a final season. They still managed 16 more classic episodes,but now with a harder edge, in a bid to correct the campy course direction which had hurt ratings towards the end of S3.
    Uncle is a great compliment to the 60's Bond canon. Writer Dean Hargrove, who was top writer for season 2, says the danger/humour mix of GF, was his inspiration for Uncle's danger/humour balance.
    The Uncle series is like having 105 little James Bond episodes to compliment the epic Bond adventures.
    The 8 Uncle theatrical releases are probably the next best thing to Bond cinema.
    This is my favourite TV series. I'll probably watch it all the way through again in a few months.
  • Season 4 is what I call the "Quinn Martin season." QM didn't actually have anything to do with it personally. But Anthony Spinner, the fourth-season producer, had written for a number of QM shows and had been associate producer on the first season of The Invaders.
  • edited January 2012 Posts: 4,622
    I quite liked season 4, especially, the all Illya, Survival School Affair and the all Solo, Man From Thrush Affair. The Master's Touch Affair with Jack Lord as a supposed defected Thrush-kingpin, was great as well.
    The two part series-finale, The Seven Wonders of the World Affair was epic Uncle as well!
    I'm looking forward to getting the feature-film dvd set, and checking out the movie-version of the series-finale (How to Steal the World).
  • edited March 2013 Posts: 57
  • Posts: 9,730
    this is still just rumor
  • Unfortunately it is gathering steam...over here in the U.S..and as we all know what Cruse wants .....Cruise usually gets...
    I wonder if Solo will be a scientologist with him taking Illya's Number 2 badge ..just like Crusie's number and rank ... in Scientology family ..?
  • Posts: 7,653
    Could be a laugh.
  • That's what worries me!
  • Just be told he's signed up to the U.N.C.L.E. movie.
    Anyway it may put Ritchie out of the reckoning for Bond 24...which is what the original post was supposed to be about...
  • Posts: 7,653
    macdrummer wrote:
    That's what worries me!

    Why because the UNCLE series is known for its realistic dramatic content??

    Generally it is even a spy-light show when compared to Roger Moores reign in the 007-verse

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Tom can do drama well, so I don't get all the worries.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Tom can do drama well, so I don't get all the worries.

    Tom Cruise wants apperently to play all spy heros and then some more like Reacher. I must admit I generaly do avoid movies that carry the name Tom Cruise unless it is a MI movie.

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    SaintMark wrote:
    Tom can do drama well, so I don't get all the worries.

    Tom Cruise wants apperently to play all spy heros and then some more like Reacher. I must admit I generaly do avoid movies that carry the name Tom Cruise unless it is a MI movie.
    Ok... Congratulations?
  • TOFANA007TOFANA007 Banned
    Posts: 89
    Hes too youngor this iconic role.. Maybe some gray dye lets age him up. With the right writer this cantake some oscar gold statues. Now, bear in mind cruise is a HIGH MEMBER of Scientgy aknown CULT. Some cannot enjoy his moviies anymore.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Cruise, ego-maniac. I have some fantastic anecdotes from a mate editing All You Need is Kill. Unfortunately I can't share them on here, business and pleasure etc.
  • Posts: 7,653
    SaintMark wrote:
    Tom can do drama well, so I don't get all the worries.

    Tom Cruise wants apperently to play all spy heros and then some more like Reacher. I must admit I generaly do avoid movies that carry the name Tom Cruise unless it is a MI movie.
    Ok... Congratulations?

    Not sure for what but then again it could be a great attempt of wittism. My apologies if I missed it.

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